Male support for cervical cancer screening and treatment in rural Ghana

Men have a critical role to play in reducing cervical cancer burden. Yet, there is little information on male involvement in the cervical cancer screening and treatment process in Ghana. In this study, we explore male knowledge and support during cervical cancer screening and treatment in a rural setting in Ghana. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among a total of 41 respondents to collect qualitative data from cervical cancer patients, their male partners and other married men in the North Tongu District, Ghana. A thematic approach was used for data analysis and presentation of the results. The results show that male partners have little or no knowledge about cervical cancer. Some men provide various forms of support–financial, social, material and emotional–to their partners during the screening and treatment stages of the disease. Some men, however, abandoned their partners during the screening and treatment process of the disease. Men whose partners did not have cervical cancer said they were willing to provide financial, social, emotional and material support to their partners if they should contract the disease. Some men said they were willing to support their female partners but lacked education on the disease. This study underscores the need for cervical cancer education programmes to target Ghanaian men. The education should focus on the causes of the disease, screening and treatment methods of the disease, and, ultimately, promote spousal support during the screening and treatment processes.